Heat Illness and Dehydration

Heat illness and heat stroke are caused by exercising or playing in a hot environment where the body becomes dehydrated—it doesn’t have enough water to carry out normal functions. Children are more vulnerable than adults to these conditions. By the time a child complains of thirst, he may already be dehydrated.

Heat illness and heat stroke are caused by exercising or playing in a hot environment where the body becomes dehydrated—it doesn’t have enough water to carry out normal functions. Children are more vulnerable than adults to these conditions. By the time a child complains of thirst, he may already be dehydrated.

Diagnose

Who's most at risk?

Extra precautions should be taken with children and teens at increased risk of suffering a heat-related illness. This includes athletes who:

Aren't used to exercising in a hot environment

Are recovering from a recent illness, especially one involving vomiting, diarrhea and/or fever

Take medications such as diuretics, ADHD medicines, anticholinergics and caffeine

Have history of heat-related illness

Heat cramp

Thirst

Fatigue

Dizziness

Loss of energy

What to do

Have athlete stop and drink water or a sports drink

Resume activities only when symptoms are gone

Heat exhaustion

Dizziness

Rapid pulse

Headache

Nausea

Vomiting

Chills

Loss of coordination

What to do

Stop activity and give athlete water or a sports drink

Seek medical attention

Heat stroke

Confusion

Irrational behavior

Drowsiness

Nausea

Vomiting

Dangerously high temperature (104 degrees F and above)

What to do

Call 911 immediately as this is a life-threatening emergency.

Treat

Schedule workouts during the cooler times of the day.

Give children and teens who are out of shape or not used to the heat time to adjust.

Schedule water and rest breaks every 30 minutes. Require athletes to drink fluids.

Have shade, ice and a kiddie pool available for emergency treatment and rapid cooling.

Prevent

It's important to have children drink fluids until they're no longer thirsty—plus another 8 ounces—30 minutes before a sports activity. They should also drink every 20 minutes while playing.

Water is best for short activities. If activities last more than an hour, children can drink a fluid with sugar and electrolytes like Gatorade or Powerade.

Don’t give children fruit juice or soda because these contain too much sugar and can cause cramping. Avoid carbonated beverages­—these can cause bloating—and caffeinated beverages—these can speed up metabolism, generating more heat.